Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly established contact with AS Roma for midfield sensation Nicolo Zaniolo, who could be made available for €50 million this summer.
According to Angelo Mangiante of Sky Sports, Tottenham’s Director of Football Fabio Paratici recently travelled to Italy to hunt on his favourite Serie A grounds and met with Roma’s General Manager, Tiago Pinto, to discuss the feasibility of a deal for Nicolo Zaniolo this summer.
Tottenham’s long-term interest in Zaniolo dates far back to the summer of 2020 before he suffered a critical ACL injury that hampered his growth. And it got even worse with the second blow as he remained sidelined for the most of the following season, which seemed to have derailed his big-money move. However, he returned with a bang last season.
Zaniolo had a stellar season for the Serie A outfit, scoring eight goals and providing nine assists in 42 outings across all competitions. Not to mention, the 22-year-old Italian international scored the only goal in the Europa Conference League final as Roma beat Feyenoord to lift their first-ever European trophy.
The 22-year-old joined Roma from Inter Milan four years ago and, since his arrival, has scored 22 times and registered 15 assists in 111 appearances in all competitions. He has two years left on his contract and while Jose Mourinho’s side have been trying to convince him to commit to a new long-term deal, negotiations have stalled, with the winger apparently open to a fresh challenge.
Roma are ready to listen to offers before making a decision to hand the youngster a bumper deal and are said to be prepared to cash in on him should they receive an offer in the region of €50 million. This comes as music to the ears of the Tottenham faithful, with Antonio Conte, a huge admirer of the midfielder, having monitored him closely as Inter Milan boss in 2019 and 2020.
Meanwhile, the player has been on Paratici’s radar for quite a long time, even when he was at Juventus. The major stumbling block could be that Zaniolo is eager to remain in Italy. The 22-year-old is eyeing a move to Juventus or AC Milan as staying in his home country is his priority, having already turned down a move to cash-rich Premier League Newcastle United earlier this month.
Milan are said to be keen and previously had a bid of €25 million, plus Alexis Saelemaekers, rejected by Roma. Other reports in Italy have suggested that Juventus are in close contact with Roma and are trying to iron out a player plus cash deal.
Conte is looking for a versatile forward who can play out wide and through the middle, as seen by their recent links to Richarlison. Zaniolo is primarily a right-winger, but he can also play as an attacking midfielder and a second striker.
The Italian international would reduce the necessity for a backup option for Harry Kane if Spurs were to sign him. Roma will undoubtedly want a good fee but if it is around the reported €40-50 million mark, Tottenham must give it a go, with Conte and Paratici’s presence crucial in trying to lure Zaniolo to north London.
